Dirmoss

[Tifa Lockhart]

The Capital of Solaris. It is a dusty city, as much of Solaris is barren wasteland. The city is plagued with disease and famine. It is the seat of the ‘royal family’ though the ruling class bares little noble blood, content to live comfortably while ruling their Kingdom with a cruel uncaring hand.

[aevea]

The dark voice bekoned. Aevea opened his eyes seeing the faint outlines of his damp surroundings, possibly the one place in solaris where the humidity was enough to choke you to death. To his mostly dead self however, it was a dark hole to reside in until his master gave him another mundane task, usually involving tearing some stranger apart for breaking the 'law'. Aevea certainly knew that his master used him to make people disappear, whether discretely or a bloody mess on the ground usually didn't matter. Moving towards the steps out of the cells far beneth the ground information was forced into his mind by an unseen force. "His name is unimportant, the information he holds however is vital to my scheming, i need his head...you can do what you want with the rest of him". The voices left, and just as suddenly a vision of the man he was to retrieve today poured into his mind like an oil painting until it sharpened into a clear enough picture to make him out. A scruffy man, clothes mostly torn rags but seemed to have more than the usual beggar would wear, a spy most likely dressed to blend with the local populace. He set out, up the long stairs and out a trap door made of pavement, without the wards placed on him aevea would not be able to enter the fortress this way, he wouldn't be able to see the door without them, such was the magic of it. walking in the last moments of night before dawn broke, armor plates sliding over one another noislessly, he began the hunt.

[aevea]

Dawn finally broke after the short hour of stalking the darkened streets. Aevea looked around the dingy market he was in for his intended prey, nothing but dust, garbage and what were considered vending stalls, waist high crates with rotting cloths thrown over them in a poor attempt to lure potential customers. People only truly came here for three things, weapons, information and sometimes even slaves. Aevea himself didn't understand how the kingdoms economy survived, and what he guessed would have made him shiver if he still lived. He noticed people begin to appear, beggars by the dozen all crawling out of whatever hole offered sanctuary overnight. Today for them was survival, as every other day the have known. Seeing no one resembling the spy he started his pursuit elsewhere down one of the many nerby alleyways, a presence following him as he went. He walked down the alley until he was well away from anyone that could disturb him then, spinning around with in-human speed he grabbed the pressence, a man, by the face and slammed him into the high, bricked wall, breaking ribs and the mans left arm, the sound of a dagger clanged on the floor. He dropped him on the ground to see who he had just maimed. The man, dressed as a beggar and writhing in pain as ribs stabbed at his internals, had long, thick shaggy hair, and wore far too much to be a beggar. The man, now the spy looked around the alley wildly, there was nothing, his dagger far out of reach and not even a lose stone to pick up and throw at the armored figure, Aevea chose his area well. Looking at the man curiously as he squirmed the dark voice once again echoed in his mind.
"Bring his head to me, he is the one."
without question Aevea forced the dying man down to the ground by stepping on his chest, the heavily armored boot cracking more ribs as the pressure built, the mans eyes almost exploding from his face. Crouching over, He grasped the man's head with armored gauntlets and heaved, skin tearing, spine snaping at the neck, the man muffled by his own blood as it gushed into his throat then fell silent, his head coming away from his body. Holding the grisly item by the hair he began his way back the the fortress, his cell, where he could be at peace now his daily task was almost ended.

[aevea]

Darkness, once again all around him. Delivering the package his master required of him, he had the rare chance of total freedom over himself. Why was he even here? he no longer remembered the reasons why. They were important, he knew this, he knew because he felt drawn to some other far away place, unfinished business that needed to be dealt with. Yet, he could not leave, his master would not allow it, at least not forever. His new assignment was strange, it meant he would be allowed to leave the city. He was to search for a noble, meaning he was to bring him back in one piece at any cost. His name was Stephan. The image in his mind burned so greatly as the desire of his master empowered it beyond measure, feeling the pull more than ever, he set out to find this noble. His sword, a massive weapon to him, rested on his left pauldron, the blade clean and umblemished although it had seen much use over the many years of service.
"Freedom at last" ehcoed the hollow dual voices in his head. His weapon and armor, while together had a strange sentient being possesing them. two voices, but one thought.
"yes. It will be strange, i wonder how the world has changed since...since..." he tried to finish the mental sentence to the weapons, but couldn't, he could not remember what life was like before the master. It felt like a barrier between him and memories locked away from him so long ago.
"It shall be good to be useful once again" Voices echoing again. Unknown to Aevea the hidden meaning behind the words.
He set out of his darkness, it will be some time before he returns to this place.

[aevea]

Leaving the gatehouse of the crumbling city, Aevea set out to where he felt the pull the most, towards the rift forest. Aevea felt a distinct dislike for forests and the rift was no exception, where these feeling originated he could not fathom, all he knew was a foreboding of such places. He began his trek across the Solaris wastes to find his quarry.

[aevea]

After a few days of travel, he was covered in dust from the wastes. Shaking some of it off he noticed the ground seemed a little bit firmer under his armored feet. He was getting closer to Stephan, the pull was even greater now, he couold see the razor thin line of trees in the distance. It would be a few days still before he reached his destination.